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The Premier League, Coming Soon to a Continent Near You

It’s perhaps an indication of the ambitions of English soccer’s top flight that is does not, in fact, include the word England in its title.

Known as the Premiership after its restructuring in 1992, and now as the Premier League, the omission offers something of a synopsis on the dramatic transformation the league has undertaken.

Then again, why should the word England feature? After all, the Premier League in its current form is no longer strictly English.

Drawing worldwide figures that now amount to the vast majority of the league’s overall audience (an estimated 1 billion people were said to have watched Manchester United take on Arsenal last season despite only 1.1 million watching in England), the division has become not just a global interest but also a global brand. So, naturally, it now plans to take its product where demand is highest.

The Premier League already caters heavily for foreign markets and even alters kickoff times to suit overseas viewers — usually in the Far East, since early afternoon starts in England makes the games available to large audiences in Asia. But now the Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Scudamore, has proposed two preseason tournaments organized by the league to be played on two continents as he attempts to capitalize fully on the global appeal of England’s top teams.
Scudamore’s aspirations for a truly global spectacle have been met with fierce opposition before. The infamous 39th game proposal was vetoed by the Premier League’s member clubs and their supporters after being put forward three years ago, somewhat putting the buffers on Scudamore’s plan for worldwide domination.

But does his latest proposal represent any true extension of the league?

Considering the Premier League already lends its brand name to a preseason tournament — the Barclay’s Asia Trophy is in its fourth year — Scudamore seems guilty of artful deception. Chelsea and Liverpool have traveled to Asia to participate in various summer tournaments, and Manchester United spent its preseason touring the United States. Such is the appeal of the Premier League that it’s not just the biggest teams that are benefiting from lucrative preseason tours; Blackburn, Aston Villa and even the newly promoted Queen’s Park Rangers also ventured abroad during the summer months.

It would appear that Scudamore has seen the untapped revenue streams starting to be exploited by individual clubs and now wants to capitalize on these markets by extending the reach of the Premier League as a collective entity, as other leagues have.

The N.F.L. has played an annual regular season game at Wembley Stadium in London for four years running, and the N.B.A. ventured there for the first time last year after staging preseason games everywhere from Beijing to Berlin. Major League Baseball has gone to Japan, and the N.H.L. has wandered all over Europe.

In fact, Formula One’s entire business plan revolves around touring the world’s most lucrative markets, so much so that in recent years the traditional and spiritual homes of motorsports, such as the Nurburgring in Germany and Silverstone in England, have threatened by state-of-the-art tracks in booming economies (Singapore, India, China, the U.A.E.).

Many experts predict that eventually a European, or even world-wide, soccer super league will materialize, satisfying Scudamore’s desire for a truly global game. But will his brand be the ones to pioneer such a division?

Will the omission of England from the Premier League’s title look like prudent foresight, or will it remain as a symbol of an unfulfilled plan for domination?

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Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.